The silver lining for the 2025 Seattle Mariners could be the fact the 2003 Boston Red Sox suffered a similar fate — albeit after switching managers.
The Red Sox, of course, coughed up a late, multi-run Game 7 lead then lost in extra innings to the hated New York Yankees — continuing a gut-wrenching trend of failed postseason performances before they rebounded to win the World Series in 2004.
But Dan Wilson played the role of Grady Little on Monday night in Seattle’s gut-punch 4-3 loss in Game 7 to the Toronto Blue Jays that cost it its first AL pennant in team history and instead sent the Jays to the World Series.
The circumstances may have been different, but the result was the same, with Eduard Bazardo serving up a three-run homer to George Springer in the seventh inning that put Toronto ahead for good.
Much of the talk has blamed Wilson for not getting All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz in the game with runners on second and third and one out. But we’ll break down all the mishaps — and why Munoz pitching the seventh wasn’t one.
George Kirby Should Have Started The Fifth Inning
Wilson’s mistake that got the ball rolling was calling for Bryan Woo to start the fifth inning. It set the train in motion that ultimately led to Bazardo hung out to dry after throwing two innings in Game 6 on Sunday night.
Most managers these days want four innings from their starters, and that’s what Kirby delivered. But the right-hander was cruising with just 65 pitches and retiring nine of his final 11 hitters after surrendering a run in the intense top of the first.
“I think George threw the ball excellent,” Wilson said.
Woo, the Mariners’ best starting pitcher, was properly used by Wilson as a Swiss Army Knife all postseason — and he should not have entered the game in the middle of an inning.
But with the No. 9 hitter coming up, it would have been great to see Kirby throw the fifth — with a different reliever available in case he had gotten into trouble.
“We thought it was a good spot for him — a good clean inning,” Wilson said. “He came in and threw the ball extremely well.”
Gabe Speier Should Have Pitched Period
Bazardo will get crushed for serving up the home run, but leaving Gabe Speier — who led the Mariners in appearances (76) during the regular season and did not pitch in Game 6 — in the bullpen after getting him to warm up multiple times behind Kirby is a bad look.
Speier threw just 3 1/3 innings in the ALCS — a function of Toronto’s right-hand heavy lineup. But Speier was as dominant against righties as he was against lefties, surrendering just a .615 OPS and fewer home runs to righties (2) than lefties (3) during the regular season.
Speier could have backed up Kirby at the first sign of trouble in the fifth inning — since he had already been hot. Then Woo could have thrown the sixth and seventh, opening the door for Muñoz to go the final two innings — he threw one scoreless inning and allowed two hits.
If Muñoz Pitched In The Seventh Inning, Who Would Close The Game?
Analytics proponents would have pointed out that Bazardo pitching over Muñoz cost the Mariners the game. But the Mariners still had eight outs to get, and Muñoz’s postseason career high for batters faced is six.
So Muñoz would have been there to get the Mariners out of that jam, then potentially to pitch the eighth inning. But then what?
Locking down Game 7 of the ALCS on the road is a unique situation, and we can’t even be sure Muñoz would have done it successfully. Speier could have been in line to throw behind Muñoz, since he had four games finished, or Bazardo. But Wilson liked Bazardo in the high-leverage spot, since he had been coming through all year.
“Bazardo has been the guy who has gotten us through those situations — especially those tight ones in the pivot role,” Wilson said. “That’s where we were going at that point.”
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